The British Junior Golf Tour returned to Royston Golf Club for the fourth time, and again it didn’t disappoint, as it is such a unique and different test for the players!
Our thanks go to Darren, the Club Captain, and Robin, for their help on the tee, and the rest of the club for their warm welcome and encouragement for the juniors!
With the weather quite cold and a reasonable wind blowing, the course was always going to be a difficult test today and it certainly proved that way…
The younger divisions all played their event over 10 holes, rather than the usual 9, as the course layout meant that playing holes 1-6 then jumping across to finish from 15-18 worked best.
The 6 & Under Division was topped by Jack Proctor in an incredibly close finish, as a single shot separated the top 3 players. Jack’s 55 gave him a well-deserved victory, and the winner’s trophy, ahead of Elliott Bond and Harry Paramo, who both carded rounds of 56, but Elliott had the better last 6 holes to get the advantage after the countback.
There was another single shot victory in the 7-8 Division, with Toby Chahrvin overcoming playing partner, Mihir Pasura, as it all came down to the final hole: Toby’s 4 on the 18th was enough to give him a brilliant total of 44, while Mihir had to settle for a 6, leaving him on 45. Aryan Kapoor secured third place after a countback decision over Oliver Smith, as they both signed for 47s.
The gap at the top was two shots in the 9-10 Division, with Zahn Bopiah handing in a 48 from the final group of the day, and the only player to break the 50 barrier to push long-time clubhouse leader, Jacob Lovatt, into second, as his round of 50 had been at the top of the leaderboard for some time. Isaac Martin was another who required a countback decision (last 9 holes), as he took third place over Rhys Hughes after they both had rounds of 51.
The 11-12 Division was yet another that required a countback, as the close scoring continued for the 18-hole players. Ellis Kerr secured another victory to move to the top of the Order of Merit table, as his great round of 79 took the honours ahead Kodi Dean’s 79 by virtue of a better back 9. Sullivan Goddard completed the top 3 places with his round of 85.
To say that the 13-14s were a little disappointed with their results would sum up the feeling in the clubhouse after the day’s play! However, it was Bailee Taylor (80) who came out on top to take maximum OOM points ahead of Joseph Austin (85) in second and Will Bailey (88) in third.
The Boys Junior Open saw a return to the closest of margins at the top, as James Brash, who suffered a harsh 2-shot penalty, still managed to hang on to the top spot with a great round of 78, ahead of Alex Oddy and Harry Flynn who signed for matching 79s. Alex grabbed second with the better back 9.
The Net Division saw exactly the same winning margins as the gross result, as Freddie Raven took his first victory of the season with a single-shot winning margin ahead of Jaden Hanson and Edward Reeves, as they had matching rounds of 70, with Jaden getting the decision, again with a better back 9.
Constance Bailey dominated both girls’ divisions, as her 88 (net 75) was good enough to give her both winners’ trophies on the day for a very nice double victory.
The BJGT now travels West for the 3-event ‘Wales Swing’, starting on Monday at Llantrisant & Pontyclun, before taking in Southerndown for the BJGT Wales Open, and finally Dinas Powis GC.
With three Majors in the remaining five or six events (depending on division) ahead of the Tour Championship, this year’s Order of Merits tables are looking closer than ever and incredibly exciting, so the additional points will be all important!
